title: Supporting mothering: service providers' perspectives of mothers and young children affected by intimate partner violence.
abstract: Although negative outcomes from intimate partner violence (IPV) are not inevitable, IPV is recognized to have profound negative effects on child development. We conducted a qualitative descriptive study of service providers' understandings of the impact of IPV on mothers, young children (birth to 36 months), and mother-infant/child relationships, and of the support needs of these mothers and young children. Service providers suggested that IPV negatively influenced caregiving and identified a pressing need for information and strategies to help mothers promote and protect their young children's development. Although service providers struggled to articulate ideal forms of assistance to promote maternal-infant/child relationships, they agreed that mothers and young children experiencing IPV required more support than is currently available.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. nicolel@unb.ca
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Letourneau
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Loretta
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Secco
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Critchley
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D020380:Needs Assessment; D012947:Social Work; D013179:Spouse Abuse